The holidays are a wonderful time of year for parties and get-togethers. However, the number of DUI accidents and DUI charges increase over the holidays. According to Scram Systems, fifty-one (51) percent of drunk drivers admit to drinking more during the holidays. In addition, sixteen (16) percent of adults say they drink too much during the holiday season, and fifty (50) percent admit that alcohol plays a significant role in family holiday gatherings.

If you are hosting a holiday party this year, it is important that you take steps to try to prevent your guests from drinking and driving. Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after consuming too much alcohol places everyone in danger and puts your guests at risk for a costly DUI conviction.

What are you planning to do for the Thanksgiving holiday? Are you going out of town? Are you hosting your family and friends? Have you planned to meet friends at a local bar for a few drinks on Thanksgiving Eve? Whatever your plans may be, you need to remember that police will be out in full force looking for drivers who have had too much to drink.

Why do the police assume that there will be more drunk drivers during the holidays? In a word — statistics.

Has your child been accused of a crime in Pennsylvania? If so, you must take the matter very seriously, regardless of how ‘minor’ the charge. It is a mistake to consider any criminal charge ‘minor’ because all criminal convictions carry some consequence for your child. It is also a mistake to assume a judge or jury will go lightly on your child because he or she is under 18 years of age. While most courts want to see children rehabilitated rather than imprisoned, your child could still face jail time and other severe penalties depending on the crime.

We urge you to contact our office for a free legal consultation as soon as possible. Our Erie criminal defense attorney wants to hear your child’s side of the story. We care about what happened, and we want to help you and your child achieve the most positive outcome possible given the facts of the case.

With the national news coverage of the tragic death of Timothy Piazza at a Penn State University fraternity party earlier this year, the subject of underage drinking on college campuses in Pennsylvania and throughout the company has been the topic of many discussions. For many college students, parties and drinking are part of college life. However, when the consumption of alcohol is taken to excess, the consequences can be overwhelmingly tragic.

However, even with the increased news coverage of drinking on college campuses, many college students at Pennsylvania colleges do not know three basic facts about underage drinking.

In a tragic story reported by the Associated Press in the New York Post, we learned about the deaths of three young people in a traffic accident in Bethel Park near Pittsburgh this month. According to the story, three young women were in an SUV when it collided with a utility pole on Library Road.

Tragically, the driver, a 21-year old single mother, and two passengers (ages 23 and 17) were killed in the crash. A fourth passenger, a 21-year-old female, was thrown from the SUV and was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital where she remained in critical condition.

A recent article published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) suggests that college students are at a higher risk for marijuana use than non-college students. According to the article, analysis of data from a national survey reveals that young adults who attend college are at a significantly higher risk of marijuana use compared to young adults who are not enrolled in college.

What Does the Study Show?

The research was funded by the NIDA and conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan. Scientists analyzed survey data from an annual report from Monitoring the Future. Monitoring the Future is an ongoing study that examines the values, attitudes, and behaviors of college students and young adults.

When you hear of a driver charged with DUI or driving under the influence, you assume that the driver was drunk. However, while driving under the influence of alcohol is common, driving under the influence of marijuana is also become a growing problem in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States.

DUI laws in Pennsylvania prohibit drivers from operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol OR controlled substances, including marijuana. This is the case whether you are driving “while impaired” or “under the influence” of marijuana. In either case, you are breaking the law because marijuana use is still illegal in Pennsylvania.

I do not know anyone who does not feel a little apprehension when they see blue lights flashing behind them while driving. Being pulled over by an officer does not need to be a stressful event; however, it is often a bit intimidating. Knowing what to do when you are pulled over can make the situation less stressful for you and the officer.

If you feel you have not done anything wrong, a traffic stop is not the time to argue. Just because the officer issues a traffic ticket does not mean that you are guilty of the charge. Being polite and respectful at the traffic stop and then calling our office to fight the charge is your best option. However, what happens if the police officer requests that you exit the vehicle?

We can all agree that the 4th of July holiday is a time when some of the best parties are thrown in the largest cities in America. Huge parties to celebrate our Independence Day are held throughout our country from Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles to Washington, Atlanta, and Charlotte. However, it is not only the large cities that know how to celebrate July Fourth . . . in Erie, Edinboro, Warren, Penn State, Bradford, Meadville, Crawford, Conneaut Lake, and throughout Northwestern Pennsylvania, Pennsylvanians will be celebrating Independence Day the only way we know how to celebrate — with style!

During our July Fourth celebrations, many people will participate in parades, festivals, carnivals, backyard cookouts, block parties, and other festive events that include lots of great music, delicious food, and thirst-quenching beverages. In many of these festivities and celebrations, drinking alcohol is customary. However, if you choose to consume alcohol, you should give your keys up, stay to enjoy the party, and leave the driving to someone else. Drinking is a great responsibility and driving is an even greater responsibility.